A man in Kentucky is suing his doctor for amputating his penis during what was supposed to be a circumcision to treat inflammation back in 2007. Former trucker, Phillip Seaton, who testified against Dr. John Patterson in the Shelby County Circuit Court on Monday, is seeking unspecified damages for quote “loss of service, love, and affection.” Dr. Patterson maintains that the amputation was necessary after finding life-threatening cancer during the operation and that Mr. Seaton had signed a document authorizing necessary treatment in unforeseen circumstances. Dr. Patterson’s attorney, Clay Robinson, has also stated that the doctor had only removed the tip of the penis after discovering the cancer and that another doctor had later removed the rest of the organ.
In an opening statement on Monday, Mr. Seaton’s lawyer, Kevin George, told jurors that his client no longer felt like a man and that what his doctor opted to do was wrong since Seaton was never given a choice or the opportunity to check around and seek alternative opinions or treatment options. During his testimony, Seaton described to the court his experience of waking up from surgery and being given the news. He recalled how in the moments after hearing that a portion of the organ had been removed he wanted to flee the hospital. In response, Patterson’s attorney explained how his client faced a quote “dreaded dilemma” and had saved Seaton’s life given that his penis had been so riddled with penile cancer.
As indicated by the BBC, according to estimates from the National Institutes of Health, penile cancer is rare with a little over 1300 new cases and 320 deaths in the U.S. in 2011.